by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

An apparent extreme "unruly flier" episode has the subject of passenger etiquette back in the news again this week.

The FBI intervened in this latest incident, in which a 60-year-old man is accused of using a racial slur before slapping a crying 2-year-old boy in an effort to quiet the child on a Feb. 8 Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta. The man, identified as Joe Rickey Hundley of Hayden, Idaho, is unrelated to the boy, who was the child of a woman sitting near him, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In addition to the charges Hundley faces, he also is now out of a job because of the incident, The Associated Press reports. Hundley's employer issued a statement saying he no longer works there, but it was unclear if he was fired or resigned.

As for the details of the allegations, Jessica Bennett of Minneapolis - the mother of the 2-year-old - told the FBI that her boy began crying as the cabin pressure changed during the flight's descent into Atlanta. That's when Bennett alleges that Hundley hurled a racial slur at her child along with a command to quiet the child, according to a court affidavit posted by The Smoking Gun website.

According to that affidavit, "Bennett stated (Hundley) then turned around and slapped (the child) in the face with an open hand, which caused the juvenile victim to scream even louder."

Bennett said she had been trying to calm the child at the time of the alleged contact, according WXIA of Atlanta.

Passengers and crew intervened to assist the mother and child, according to the affidavit.

Hundley acknowledged requesting that the child be quieted, but he denied hitting the boy, according The Smoking Gun, the website that broke news of the incident. He told the website that he was "distraught" on the flight to Atlanta as he was en route to visit a hospitalized relative.

Hundley told The Smoking Gun that he had only a single drink on the flight.

Hundley was charged last week in federal court, where he faced a simple assault charge that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

Hundley's attorney told AP on Saturday that Hundley will plead not guilty, but the accused man already is facing fallout from his alleged actions.

Hundey's employer, AGC Aerospace and Defense, Composites Group, said that it no longer employs Hundley following news of the incident.

"Reports of the recent behavior of one of our business unit executives while on personal travel are offensive and disturbing," AGC says in a statement posted on its website. "We have taken this matter very seriously and worked diligently to examine it since learning of the matter on Friday afternoon. As of Sunday, the executive is no longer employed with the company."

"We wish to emphasize that the behavior that has been described is contradictory to our values, embarrassing and does not in any way reflect the patriotic character of the men and women of diverse backgrounds who work tirelessly in our business," the statement adds.

It was not immediately clear whether Hundley was fired or if he resigned.

"Since this is a personnel matter, we can't describe further the specifics of Mr. Hundley's departure from the company," a company spokesman tells Good Morning America.